Safely screen, detect, and remove head lice and nits.

You are here: Home / Head Lice – In the Press

Classic Articles Prior to 2019

The NPA has been helping people around the world since long before there was an Internet. This section features some of the timeless articles and editorials that appeared in peer review journals, newspapers and from the NPA’s own publications. Please note that many of these resources will open as pdfs and other document types and some may open not yet formatted for our relaunched website. Newer Classics will be published in the “In the Press” article area.

2018: How a Tiny Insect Was Used to Trace the Origins of Human Clothing
Almost all mammalian and avian species are host to various species of lice. But humans are among the few species that are host to three (or subspecies). The human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), the body louse (P. humanus corporis, also considered P. humanus humanus) and the pubic louse (Pthirus pubis) are obligate ectoparasites to the human body and can’t survive on other species, including pets.

2015: 

Frankowski Letter to Altschuler
Followup to article on head lice in the Washington Post.
2012Markey to FDA: Stop Use of Toxic Chemical in Children’s Shampoo
Use of insecticide “lindane” in treatment for lice could harm children, pollutes environment
2011A crawling issue: Head lice treatments worse than the pest itself?
Parents often aren’t aware that some of the most prescribed and over-the-counter treatments can be harmful to children, an iWatch News investigation found. The Food and Drug Administration’s adverse event reports – collected anonymously from doctors, hospitals and others – detail cases where the pesticides in lice treatments have been involved in conditions ranging from headaches to death.
2010The Lindane Project: A Petition to the United States Government
Lindane is a persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemical to which the US population continues to be exposed to and at risk from the past and current use via the ambient air, water, soil, food, manufacturing, Superfund sites, stockpiles, recycled plastic and the pharmacopeia.
2009Deborah Altschuler Discusses LiceMeister Comb at the Stockholm Convention
The Stockholm Convention identified the LiceMeister comb as a POPs-free product and featured it at a global meeting of more than 150 countries April 25 – 29, 2011.
2008PESTICIDES AND CHILDREN: UNWITTING PARTICIPANTS IN EXPERIMENTATION
Since World War II, the use of pesticide products in the United States has increased fifty-fold. We now use approximately 900 million pounds of industrial pesticides per year in the United States. Two pesticide products marketed for use on children present striking examples of our overall failure to protect children from these dangerous toxins. Malathion, a deadly organophosphate pesticide, and Lindane, a lethal organochlorine pesticide, are both included in shampoos widely used on children’s heads to cure pediculosis, otherwise known as head lice. In the United States alone, seventeen deaths have been reported in connection with the use of Lindane; five of these deaths occurred in children. Lindane is so toxic that the Environmental Protection Agency banned all agricultural uses of the chemical in December of 2006.
2004Decomposers Vs. An Unbelieving World – First Day of Testimony
Well, Your Honor, we decomposers take dead plants and animals and turn them into nutrients and chemicals which can be used by other living things. When one organism becomes food for another organism, and that creature, in turn, becomes food for yet another…
2002A letter to Lee Lemley of the FDA
Pediculicide treatments put both the person applying the treatment and the person receiving treatment at risk.
2002A letter to the EPA on lindane risks
The NPA urges the EPA to recognize the risks associated with the pharmaceutical use of lindane for the treatment of lice and scabies as part of the Agency’s RED document. Consideration of the risks of pharmaceutical use of lindane is appropriate because the risks apply not only to the child or individual being treated, but also to the caregiver (“applicator”), the public at large and the environment.
2002A letter to the FDA
FDA wording jeopardizes the public health
2000Fake News! Guidelines for the treatment of resistant pediculosis
From Contemporary Pediatrics and the Working Group on the Treatment of Resistant Pediculosis.
2000If your new school policy is based on this published paper you probably should take a closer look:
Overdiagnosis and consequent mismanagement of head louse infestations in North America
Health care professionals as well as nonspecialists frequently overdiagnose pediculiasis capitis and generally fail to distinguish active from extinct infestations.
2000If your school relaxed the No Nit Policy for children with head lice you will want to know about this report and why it shouldn’t have been the basis for allowing infested children to remain in the classroom: 

“Overdiagnosis and consequent mismanagement of head louse infestations in North America.” Pollack RJ1, Kiszewski AE, Spielman A. –https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10959734 – (Abstract of Article).From Methods:….“we invited health care providers as well as nonspecialized personnel to submit specimens to us that were associated with a diagnosis of pediculiasis. Each submission was then characterized microscopically.” RESULTS: Health care professionals as well as nonspecialists frequently overdiagnose pediculiasis capitis and generally fail to distinguish active from extinct infestations.”Dr. Pollack’s methods from this reference do not support his assertion that “The vast majority of kids who have nits are not currently infested, and quite a few were never infested” His abstract describes an opportunity screening sample obtained from volunteers who are apparently seeking guidance as to the identification of a particular louse nit sample. It offers no quantitative information about either the majority of children infested or the identification skills of the typical parent, school nurse or teacher.It would be necessary to test a random sample of several schools and health providers to support the assertions in the Pollack post. It is important for public health professionals to review the scientific support for Pollack’s assumptions.David R. Brown, ScD – Environmental Public Health Scientist
David Brown is the Public Health Toxicologist and Director of Public Health Toxicology for Environment and Human Health, Inc. He is the past Chief of Environmental Epidemiology and Occupational Health in Connecticut and was previously Associate Professor of Toxicology at Northeastern College of Pharmacy and Allied Health. He also served as Deputy Director of the Public Health Practice Group of Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) at the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Brown graduated from Cornell University in Biochemistry, received his MS from the University of California in Environmental Health, and his ScD from Harvard School of Public Health in Toxicology.
1999Letter from Barbara Frankowski to National Pediculosis Association
Agreement concerning NPA’s stand on not using lindane, not overusing the other pediculocides, not using lice sprays, and being wary of unproven remedies such as vaseline and herbal oils.
1998Survey presented to the 1998 national meeting of the National Association of School Nurses
Survey regarding occurrence and treatment of head lice (Pediculus capitis) in American school children
1998There’s More to Head Lice Than Killing The Bug.
1998Exposing The Nitty Gritty About Head Lice
1998Tom Bell in support of No Nits
1997Louse on Board? Head Lice Awareness Graphic
NPA
1996The late Robert Dalgleish, PhD says “Physical removal is always a choice, preferred choice, and thus should be first and last choice.”
From Letter to the NPA
1996Resistant Lice? A Crisis for the Kids
From the Progress Newsletter
1996A Heady, Nitpicky, Lousy Problem
Report on head lice from the CA Dept of Health Services, Div of Communicable Disease Control
1995Shampooing with Poison
Article from the NPA’s Progress Newsletter
1995Systematic review of clinical efficacy of topical treatments for head lice
From the British Medical Journal, September 1995
1994Lindane – The Most Dangerous Medicine
The Paula Lyons article that launched the NPA’s National Reporting Registry
1992It’s A Lousy Job But She’s Good At It
In The War Against Head Lice In Children, This Massachusetts Mother Serves As Commander-in-chief Without Pay
1992Head Lice as Vectors of Disease
The question of head lice as disease vectors has not been resolved
1992Correspondence on the NPA’s  ‘Lice & Disease’ Presentation to the U.S. Military
Medical committee concludes that lice are a vector for typhus and louse-born fever
1991Pediculosis prevention and control strategies of community health and school nurses: a descriptive study
1991Old Comb Reveals Nits On The Nile
Mummified head lice found on ancient Egyptian comb
1990Zinsser, Lice And History
Lice and disease
1990Head of Quebec Poison Control calls for ban on lindane-based head lice products
Facilities turn up more than 300 cases of poisoning, and that is just the tip of the iceberg
1990The Misuse of Pesticides
A painful prophecy
1990Interview with the NPA President
From ‘Bob Detwiler’s Journal’
1989The Pressure to Fumigate
Parents who discover one or more family members harboring lice can become anxious and panicked.
1989The Hazards of Treating Head Lice
Minimizing risks by working together
1988Defining The Problem
Editorial from the Progress Newsletter
1986Product Advertising Inconsistent With Health Goals
Editorial from the Progress Newsletter
1986Addressing A Common Bias
Indifference to head lice in the medical community
1985University of Miami Field Epidemiology Research Team’s Findings on Head Lice
Team has treated over 2000 lice cases and extensively studied the biology of the head louse
1985AIDS Precautionary Guidelines and Procedures for School Children
Pediculosis position statement submitted to the CDC
1985California School Nurses Organization Supports Nit Free Policies
From the CSNO President
1985Pediculosis Prevention Resolution Submitted to Congress
H.J. Res. 223
1984Letters on Pediculosis from NE Journal of Medicine
Letters on head lice topics, including nit removal and the search for safe methods for preventing head lice infestation.
1984Memo to School Nurses
If head lice management in this country is to succeed, health professionals and parents must acknowledge nit removal as an integral part of total treatment.
1984Getting Bugged to the Limit
From the Washington Post
1983No Nit Checklist
National Pediculosis Association
1983Department of Health and Human Services discourages environmental use of insecticides for head louse control
Department of Health and Human Services
1982Kansas No Nit Policy
From the Kansas Department of Health and Environment – NPA Policy Reference
1971UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING INFESTATIONS OF LICE ON HUMANS
Benjamin Ken and John H. Poorbaugh, Ph.D.
1954Flavor and benzene haxachloride content of peanuts grown in rotation with cotton, dusted with insecticides containing benzene hexachloride
HOWARD REYNOLDS, GLADYS L. GILPIN, and IRWIN HORNSTEIN – U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
1946Rats, Lice and History
An excerpt from Hans Zinsser’s Book
1944Mr. W E VAN DEN BRUEL shows specimens of Lepidocyrtinus domesticus (NIC.) BÖRNER captured on the head of a child.
Cited (and translated) from van den Bruel, W.E. in Collart, A. (1944:210)
1941Nursing Issues in the 1940’s
Nurses are devoted to the children and the children are devoted to them

Classic Articles Prior to 2019Read More

New Studies Validate Old Wisdom

By Deborah Z. Altschuler

“They use combing to validate an active infestation, quantify lice and nits by counting what the comb removes from their test subjects, as well as confirm and compare therapeutic efficacy.”

The March 11, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine published a study comparing the use of a pesticide called malathion to the use of an oral antibiotic called ivermectin to determine the efficacy of each in treating children with head lice (pediculosis). http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/362/10/896

According to this report, head lice are universal human parasites affecting over 100 million people worldwide each year. The study was conducted on children who had already been treated with topical insecticides yet continued to have live lice. “Infestation was confirmed and monitored by means of fine-toothed combing.” Adverse events for the participants included gastroenteritis, nausea, vomiting, impetigo and convulsions.

The ivermectin (antibiotic) comparison study was performed on children as young as 2 years of age. Earlier studies using malathion have been performed on children as young as 6 months of age. A list of various other new products for killing lice are being studied with future ivermectin trials scheduled for very young children.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=%22Lice+Infestations%22

Study after study reminds us that none of the experimental treatments, or those already cleared by the FDA, are 100% effective against lice and nits (lice eggs). This is why the product label for pediculicides (pesticides) recommends retreatment in 7-10 days. It also reminds us that children are exposed to 2 applications of pediculicides with the purchase of one treatment. Therefore it is curious that the NEJM article offers “that in real life, the persistence of live lice one day after insecticide application strongly suggests resistance.” There are many variables to account for treatment failure. Resistance is just one of them. Remaining nits that hatch new lice is another.

And while we have documented evidence of lice resistance to some of the most widely used products, it is unimaginable that physicians would choose to use a heavy hand with antibiotics when safer choices are available.

Rather than take the inherent health risks of following one insecticide or chemical or prescription with another, a more rational approach would be the same method researchers rely on to account for their scientific findings. They use combing for lice and nits to validate an active infestation, quantify lice and nits by counting what the comb removes from their test subjects, as well as confirm and compare therapeutic efficacy. In fact, the development of effective combs has been a boon to clinical studies – allowing for more objective data collection. The combing method is accepted and published as an integral part of clinical trials.

Perhaps with a dose of irony, the NEJM article is another example in which combing is required for research and product development. This includes a study NPA found not only promising as an important compliment to combing, but also as a much more rational non-chemical alternative to pesticides.

As published in 2006 Pediatrics: “After using a louse comb to confirm infestation, one side of each participant’s scalp was combed thoroughly to remove all lice and eggs as a control. The child’s whole head was then treated, followed by a thorough combing of the non-control side of the head.” (Italics added for emphasis). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/5/1962

Perhaps the greatest benefit to recent clinical studies is the way in which they offhandedly and consistently stress that “all lice and eggs” can be removed and accounted for with combing.

And it’s not just about live lice as the NEJM article seems to imply. Nits must also be accounted for. Infestations are established by lice laying eggs that hatch new lice. This is their cycle of life -– their basic biology.

Combing is a scientifically reliable method to remove all lice and nits – which is another way to say it can end an infestation – literally. Combing is the safest and most cost effective approach that accomplishes what chemicals cannot. It enables families to be self-reliant, proactive, and preventive. It allows for regular screening and early detection which makes the combing approach even more practical and realistic.

While chemical treatments, pediculicides, and broad spectrum antibiotics develop resistance and potentially adverse health effects, nothing compares to the kindness of a comb.

Deborah Z. Altschuler
President
National Pediculosis Association

New Studies Validate Old WisdomRead More

The Lindane Project

The Lindane Project is a petition to the United States Government to cancel lindane’s registration as a pharmaceutical as it has been cancelled by the EPA for all other uses.

THAT this compilation of government surveillance documents the presence and persistence of the pesticide lindane and its related isomers in the United States.

THAT the world via the Stockholm Convention has voted to take proactive measure to protect the citizens of the world from lindane and related isomers while the U.S. did not ratify the Convention but asked and received exception to allow lindane to be directly applied to humans as a pharmaceutical.

THAT lindane was banned by the US Secretary of the Interior in 1970 for use as a pesticide on lands managed by Department of Interior bureaus and agencies, or in any program run by them.

THAT lindane has been shown to be harmful to humans, domestic animals, the environment and global ecosystem.

THAT lindane’s persistence in the environment from agriculture continues to expose US citizens despite its cancellation by EPA. This exposure is increased by its useas a pharmaceutical.

THAT child and school protection from pesticide laws exist because there are multiple other additional and cumulative pesticide exposure risks to children in addition to the direct exposure to lindane as a pharmaceutical.

THAT the US Government agencies and State Governments acknowledge the dangers of lindane, require surveillance measures to track the availability and risks of lindane and related isomers in the lives of Americans.

THAT the US Government Agencies go to great lengths using time and resources at taxpayer expense to monitor, measure, collect and document the scientific evidence in order to protect the public’s health, welfare and environment.

THAT in 2006 the United States Environmental Protection Agency cancelled the registrations of all pesticide products containing the pesticide lindane.

THAT lindane was banned in the state of California as a treatment for lice and scabies because its use as a pharmaceutical contaminated the water.

THAT lindane however remains regulated by the FDA and available as a pharmaceutical treatment for lice and scabies, as though this massive amount of government diligence and documentation does not exist.

THAT active permits allow lindane to be manufactured in the state of Mississippi.

THAT FDA’s guidance by industry rather than government surveillance and actions, puts the US population at unnecessary and avoidable risk.

THAT US Government agencies must actively share knowledge and work cooperatively agency to agency to protect citizens from preventable toxic exposures.

THAT lindane is a persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemical to which the US population continues to be exposed to and at risk from the past and current use via the ambient air, water, soil, food, manufacturing, Superfund sites, stockpiles, recycled plastic and the pharmacopeia.

The Lindane ProjectRead More

Hair-raising facts about lice

Revulsion and alarm.

These are the typical first reactions of parents whose children come home from school with head lice.

But experts say parents shouldn’t let panic upend their homes needlessly as they race about trying to rid their kids – and possibly themselves – of the sesame seed-sized parasites.

People tend to just freak with this, says Steve Pray, a professor at the School of Pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the US. One of the first things you have to do in a counseling session is calm them down. A minimalist approach is going to be better here.

Millions around the globe affected

Another thing you should realize about head lice is you’re not alone.

As many as six million to 12 million people worldwide get head lice every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And cleanliness has nothing to do with who will be the targets of the blood-sucking insects.

Preschool and elementary-age children, aged three to 10, and their families are infested most often. Children tend to pass lice along at school when they share hats or play closely with other kids.

White people get head lice more often than other racial groups. And girls and women tend to get them more often than boys or men because their hair is longer, says Dr Mervyn Elgart, emeritus professor of dermatology at George Washington University.

Having short hair is a blessing, Elgart says. Lice like to be warm, and if you’ve got longer hair it’s warmer under there.

How to get rid of lice

So how do you rid your child or yourself of these pests?

The first decision is whether to use a chemical shampoo.

Some experts warn against it, saying the shampoos contain harmful ingredients. It’s a pesticide, and there are safer alternatives, says Deborah Altschuler, president of the American National Pediculosis Association. It makes no sense to shampoo a child with a pesticide.

Altschuler and Pray also warn that the lice shampoos currently on the market are becoming less effective. We have a great deal of resistance that’s emerging, the same sort of resistance we’re seeing in antibiotics, Pray says. I’m having people come in and say they’ve used the products perfectly and they just aren’t working.

Choose the right product

But Elgart believes some shampoo treatments can be safe and effective. We use chemicals to color hair. We use chemicals to curl or straighten hair. I think the appropriate use of chemicals isn’t so bad, he says.

Elgart recommends products that contain the pesticide permethrin. Over-the-counter treatments contain one percent permethrin, but Elgart says people with more stubborn cases can get a five percent permethrin solution with a prescription.

Altschuler and Pray suggest people remove the lice and their eggs (called nits) using special, fine-toothed lice-removal combs, which pull the insects from the scalp.

Both say people should definitely stay clear of chemical treatments if the affected children are on medication or are receiving therapies for Aids, cancer, epilepsy, asthma, allergies or any other chronic illness.

Combing the hair

Once parents have combed their children’s hair for lice and nits, they should comb their own hair in the shower, Altschuler says, but not before boiling or washing the comb between uses.

One problem with combing is that the nits stick to the hair follicle using a very strong glue. Elgart recommends soaking the comb in vinegar before using it to help dissolve the glue.

Home remedies can be dangerous

Pray warns people against home remedies. He’s heard of people using gasoline or kerosene on their children, or pesticides straight from their garden store. Other home remedies he’s heard of involve coating the head in Vaseline, olive oil or salt water.

They’re embarrassed, so they won’t come to pharmacists and get the straight information, he says. It’s just incredible what people do.

The embarrassing thing is not that you’ve got it. It’s not treating it and having your child go to school and infest others, Pray adds.

Lice need human blood

If lice strike your family, don’t worry about having your pets treated. Nor should you coat your house with pesticides. Head lice feed specifically on human blood, not animal blood, and don’t stray far from their food source.

They’re not going to strike out on expeditions to find new heads, Pray says. Away from a person they’re going to die within 24 hours, because they must have human blood.

But you should vacuum your home thoroughly and wash your clothes and linens in hot water. These things (lice) are very temperature-sensitive, Pray says. – (HealthDayNews)

Hair-raising facts about liceRead More

Collembola (Springtails) (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Entognatha) Found In Scrapings From Individuals Diagnosed With Delusory Parasitosis

Twenty individuals diagnosed with delusory parasitosis participated in a single site clinical study under the auspices of the National Pediculosis Association (NPA) and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The objective of this study was to determine if there were any common factors in skin scrapings collected from this population. These individuals, whose symptoms were originally attributed to lice or scabies, were part of a larger group reporting symptoms of stinging/biting and/or crawling to the NPA. Multiple skin scrapings from each person were microscopically examined. Any and all fields of view that appeared incongruous to normal human skin were digitally photographed. When the photographic images were initially evaluated, no common factor was identified. However, more extensive scrutiny using imaging software revealed evidence of Collembola in 18 of the 20 participants.

Delusory parasitosis, also known as Ekbom’s Syndrome (Ekbom, 1938), is a presumed psychiatric condition ascribed to individuals who are convinced, in the absence of any empirical evidence, that they are infested with an insect or parasite (Novak, 1988; Poorbaugh, 1993; Webb, 1993a). These individuals experience itching, stinging/biting, and crawling sensations on or under their skin, which are often associated with excoriations, discoloration, scaling, tunneling or sores. Their conviction that they are infested is reinforced by their observation of particles described as sparkly, crusty, crystal-like, white or black specks and/or fibers.

Typically, these individuals have consulted extensively with general physicians, dermatologists, and entomologists (Kushon et al., 1993) who could not find physical cause for their complaints. Despite findings ruling out lice, scabies or other medical causes, patients refuse to accept the diagnosis of delusory parasitosis (Koblenzer, 1993; Webb, 1993b), become extremely focused on eradicating the pests, and further compromise their skin by frequent scratching, excessive cleaning, and the application of various remedies such as prescription pesticides for lice or scabies, household cleaning products, and organic solvents or fuels. The symptoms are debilitating and the sufferer’s distress is compounded by the lack of a concrete physical diagnosis.

Full-version of the article (PDF format)

Collembola (Springtails) (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Entognatha) Found In Scrapings From Individuals Diagnosed With Delusory ParasitosisRead More

Head-lice shampoos can be dangerous

From Consumer Reports – September 2003

The millions of kids who will inevitably turn up with head lice during the coming school year have gained Food and Drug Administration protection against one dangerous prescription treatment–lindane, an organochlorine insecticide that can be toxic to brain cells. But another prescription lice shampoo–brand-named Ovide–is being marketed with use instructions that increase the risk of harm.

The FDA recently recommended that lindane be used only with extreme caution in anyone weighing less than 110 pounds, which includes most school-aged children. Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has long advocated taking lindane off the market.

The makers of Ovide, which has been available in the U.S. since 1999, have moved to take over lindane’s market share. Ovide’s active ingredient is malathion, an insecticide whose use for mosquito control has alarmed parents across the U.S.

Though it’s one of the safer organophosphate insecticides–considerably safer than lindane–malathion works by interfering with chemical reactions in the nervous system, whether of an insect or a person. In its raw state, malathion readily soaks through the skin. So far, the makers of Ovide have not done studies to determine how much of the malathion gets into a child’s circulatory system.

Head-lice shampoos can be dangerous

The millions of kids who will inevitably turn up with head lice during the coming school year have gained Food and Drug Administration protection against one dangerous prescription treatment–lindane, an organochlorine insecticide that can be toxic to brain cells. But another prescription lice shampoo–brand-named Ovide–is being marketed with use instructions that increase the risk of harm.

The FDA recently recommended that lindane be used only with extreme caution in anyone weighing less than 110 pounds, which includes most school-aged children. Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has long advocated taking lindane off the market.

The makers of Ovide, which has been available in the U.S. since 1999, have moved to take over lindane’s market share. Ovide’s active ingredient is malathion, an insecticide whose use for mosquito control has alarmed parents across the U.S.

Though it’s one of the safer organophosphate insecticides–considerably safer than lindane–malathion works by interfering with chemical reactions in the nervous system, whether of an insect or a person. In its raw state, malathion readily soaks through the skin. So far, the makers of Ovide have not done studies to determine how much of the malathion gets into a child’s circulatory system.

That said, years of use have established that when applied to the scalp for lice control, Ovide is not absorbed excessively. But lice experts say that the product’s use instructions pose an unnecessary hazard.

A recent study by Terri Meinking, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, found that “Ovide killed lice within 20 minutes of exposure, by far the fastest of any product tested.” However, the product’s instructions say to soak the child’s hair with Ovide and leave it on for 8 to 12 hours. The longer it stays on the head, the more of it is absorbed–and the more likely that lice will quickly become resistant to it. Moreover, it smells bad and might catch fire if the child is near a flame.

If your child gets head lice, remember that though they are unpleasant, lice neither transmit disease nor make children ill. “The major hazard of head lice is enforced school absence” because of draconian “no-nit” policies, says Ronald C. Hansen, M.D., chief of pediatric dermatology at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona. If your child’s school has such a policy, refer its administrators to the American Academy of Pediatrics, whose guidelines explicitly discourage it.

Many lice cases can be resolved by starting with over-the-counter treatments, such as Nix or Rid, which contain relatively safe pyrethroid insecticides. Carefully follow package instructions. Check the child’s head daily, and remove remaining lice and nits with a fine-tooth metal comb until you have gone several days without spotting any. Wetting the child’s hair with a conditioner may make combing less painful. Use Ovide as a last resort, leaving it on for only 10 to 15 minutes, then washing the child’s hair to remove all residue.

Copyright © 2000-2004 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

Head-lice shampoos can be dangerousRead More